Seminar ‘Is another security policy possible?’

27th June 2017 in Barcelona

What can a State do to guaranty security, peace and human rights? How can it fight and prevent terrorism? What kinds of policies are needed to prevent armed conflicts and facilitate mediation to overcome them?

To answer those and other questions related with human security, FundiPau organizes the Seminar ‘Is another security policy possible?’ on Tuesday 27th June.

Presents and conducts the debate: Kristian Herbolzheimer, director of the Programme of Peace Transitions of Conciliation Resources.

12.00 h: Conference: What can a State do to prevent and fight terrorism? With Robert Parker, Director of Policy and Communications of Saferworld.

Presents and conducts the debate: Carme Suñé, vice-president of FundiPau.

16.00 h: Conference: What can a State do to promote Human Rights? With Beatriz Perales, Campaigns and Research Director in Amnesty International Spain.

Presents and conducts the debate: Albert Caramés, coordinator of the ’Observatory to prevent extremist violence (OPEV) in Europe and member of FundiPau board.

18.00 h: Round table: What can a State do to prevent conflicts and promote security and peace?

With Eduard Soler, senior researcher and coordinator of the project MENARA of CIDOB, and Sergio Maydeu, analyst specialized in armed conflicts, violence and development.

Presents and conducts the debate: Montserrat Arbós, professor of the Faculty of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna and member of FundiPau board.

Closure

Presentation of the seminar

We live in an insecure world.

Indicators are clear: increasing number of armed conflicts, more deaths related with these conflicts, growing number of refugees up to levels never seen before, rising impact of international terrorism, etc.

And all this, being well aware that high levels of structural violence (inequality, poverty, oppression, discrimination) still determine much of the reality of hundreds of millions of people around the world. A structural violence, by the way, interconnected with the outburst of direct or physical violence we suffer.

The right to security is a fundamental human right. But the dominant militarist conception of security policies, besides having proved to be unable to solve the threats we face, has eventually created new insecurity problems.

We must develop new visions, proposals and practices on security. A security hat puts people and their needs in the center of its conception.

Unfortunately, states are reluctant to change the paradigm. And in front of the current expressions of terrorism, some policy changes seem to go in the opposite direction: more militarization of defense policies and curtailment of rights and freedoms in the domestic space of democratic states.

Nevertheless, there are other views and good practices in the sphere of security that is necessary to identify, make visible and promote.

That’s the reason why we convene this seminar, inviting relevant international subject matter experts. We want to discuss whether another security policy is possible and contribute to identify human security building measures.